On a typical Friday afternoon at Michigan State University, the sound of skateboard wheels scraping against the pavement fills the air. Students gather with skateboards, longboards and rollerblades, cheering when someone lands a trick and laughing when they don’t.
For members of the MSU Skate Club, these moments go beyond just skating; they are about community. Many members trace their love of skateboarding to friends, social media or simple curiosity about trying something new.
For Augustine Alafita, the club's vice president, it all started casually.
“My friend and I were just messing around, and I started skating,” Alafita said. “I found it really satisfying and fun to improve and get better.”
Jack Lay, the club’s president, discovered skateboarding during the COVID-19 pandemic when social media inspired many new skaters.
“My cousins started skating, and it seemed like a lot of fun,” Lay said. “A lot of people picked it up during the pandemic. I skated for a year or two back then but eventually stopped. When I came to MSU as a sophomore, I wanted to meet new people, and the Skateboarding Club seemed like a cool group to join.”
Since joining, Lay says the club has become central to his college experience.
“I met my entire friend group through the club,” he said.
For Samuel Dietiker, the club’s risk manager, skateboarding began even earlier — in middle school and influenced his college choice.
“I started skating in seventh grade after seeing an Instagram clip that looked really cool,” Dietiker said. “When I visited campus for a college tour, I brought my skateboard and went to the skate park afterward. I met some guys from the skate club, and honestly, that’s what made me want to come to MSU.”
Dietiker said the club is more than just a place to skate.
“It brings us all together. We’re friends. We hang out,” he said.
While skateboarding can seem intimidating, members say the club actively works to make it accessible for anyone who wants to try.
“One thing we really stress is that anyone can come out,” Dietiker said. “People don’t even have to skateboard. Some rollerblade, some bring longboards, we just want anyone who likes rolling on something to come hang out.”
The club also provides loaner boards, which help remove a major barrier for students interested in skating who do not own a board.
“Skateboards can be expensive, so we make sure people can try them out without buying anything,” Lay said.
Weekly sessions often include informal lessons in which experienced members help beginners learn new tricks. Members say the spirit of mentorship is essential. Skateboarding is about encouragement as much as it is about tricks.
“Skateboarding sometimes gets a bad rap where experienced skaters are judgmental, but we don’t want that,” Dietiker said. “We’re building a big, diverse community of people who just like to roll around.”
For more experienced skaters, the club provides a supportive environment to take on new challenges. One current goal among members is for Lucas, an executive board member, to land a trick down the five-stair set behind Shaw Hall.
“He’s been trying it for a while, and we’re all excited to see him land it,” Lay said.
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Watching peers progress is a highlight for many members, who often set personal goals for tricks and cheer each other on.
“It’s motivating to see your friends work on something week to week,” Dietiker said. “We celebrate every small win.”
The club also hosts creative and social events that bring together students and artists from campus and beyond. Recently, they partnered with a creative organization from Michigan and Atlanta to host a DJ set in a living room.
“It was kind of like a Boiler Room set, and it went really well,” Dietiker said.
Additionally, the club has premiered skate videos filmed over more than a year, an important part of skateboarding culture.
“Filming a video part is a big deal in skating,” Dietiker said. “Premiering it with everyone feels like a celebration of all the work that went into it.”
Although the tricks, events and videos are fun, members say the club's biggest appeal is its sense of community.
“Everyone’s just hanging out, joking around,” Dietiker said. “Skating is a huge part of it, but the community is what keeps people coming back.”
For students who have never ridden a skateboard, the club's leaders encourage them to give it a try.
“There’s really no losing when you’re trying something new and meeting people,” Lay said.
Whether a student lands their first trick or simply watches from the sidelines, the MSU Skate Club provides a space to meet people, have fun and embrace a culture of encouragement.
